Ledecky returns to US relay at world championships

FILE – In this Monday July 21, 2019 file photo, United States’ Katie Ledecky reacts after her second place finish in the women’s 400m freestyle final at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Ledecky has withdrawn from the 200-meter freestyle event on medical grounds. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man,File)

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Meehan said Ledecky’s symptoms first began near the end of the U.S. team’s training camp in Singapore.

“We don’t know exactly what caused this all,” she said. “I wouldn’t have pulled out if it wasn’t serious or if I wasn’t concerned and scared and worried about my health. Just kind of created the perfect storm that pulled me out.”

Ledecky said she expected to compete in the 800 free heats on Friday.

She was upset in the 400 free final on Sunday, earning a silver medal. She was the defending champion and fastest qualifier in the 1,500 free.

“The fact that she didn’t swim the 1,500, where it’s a medal for her and it’s likely a gold medal if things go well, I think is a good indication that it wasn’t about anything other than she was ill,” Meehan said.

___

More AP swimming: https://apnews.com/Swimming and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.